Gracie Klein decides to create her own friend using the powers of the ancient Kaballah, but instead develops feelings for the golem she has fashioned, and what's more...love gives the creature humanity.

Synopsis: A teenager, Gracie Klein has been the object of torment and taunting
thanks to her slight overbite. Despite this, her immaculate,
tremendous brain creates worlds of fantasy and forms her first real
friend, who happens to be a golem. The golem, Josiah, develops a
soul which is strange, but her love for him sparked this
transformation. What will she do when she starts having feelings for
her own creation ?

Chapter
1--Ancient Kaballah

Gracie
Klein was a devout Jew by birth and had gone to synagogue every
Saturday with her parents and was happy with life, well, relatively
so. She was a bit of a klutz and awkward around others, so making
friends had been difficult. Since middle school she had become a
loner, especially after her so-called best friend Tabitha had made
fun of her nose, calling her "mammoth schnozz". Poor Gracie
never quite overcame the traumatic incident and began to shy away
from her classmates after that devastating blow to the heart. Matters weren't always so "hunky-dory" for her, since she had a
slight overbite, but her parents, David and Sarah, were working on
improving this slight imperfection in her mouth's structure.

Bored
with school and slightly with life, Gracie had decided to take a trip
to her favorite place in town: the local library. There were
thousands of books she had checked out in the past and the stories
always kept her sensational mind active. Rapidly, she went into the
garage, raised the door and hoisted herself upon her bicycle. No
sooner had she kicked back the kickstand was she off to stimulate her
starved imagination.

When
Gracie walked into the library this time, she noticed that there was
a copy of the ancient Kaballah. She had heard of the book before and
was curious about it. She had read every other religious text she
could get her hands on since different religions intrigued her. This one in particular was a mystic form of Judaism, and she was
unfamiliar with it. Drawn to the book, she picked it up, held it
close to her chest and took it to the front desk for check-out.

"Oh,
hi, Gracie ! Checking out another book today I see ?", the
librarian said, sweetly. Her hazel-green eyes were accented by her
rectangular glasses and her attire was dainty and delightful as
usual. Mrs. Shelia Peters, her name was, and she was a class act in
every sense.

"Ah. Well, this book will definitely do that. Just be warned. These
spells are powerful, so don't use them unless you absolutely have
to !", Shelia said, in a warning and ominous tone. Then she
laughed merrily. Gracie was scared out of her wits and huffed,
scowling a bit.

"Shelia,
I am not amused.", Gracie said as Shelia checked her card, stamped
the book and handed it back to her.

"I'm
aware, but I can't help myself sometimes.", Shelia said, giggling
again. Gracie took the enormous tome, which strangely was lighter
than it looked. Carefully, she carried it to her bicycle, kicked
back the kickstand and rode back home.

Chapter
2--Josiah Lives

It
was an ominously thunderous night when Gracie began the ritual. She
had drawn a star of David in chalk in her basement and lit candles
all around it. In the middle of the star were rocks. Nothing out of
the ordinary, just your garden variety rocks.

Wearing
a black, flowing robe, she repeated the words that seemed strangely
familiar to her, pricked her finger and blessed the rocks with her
own lifeblood.

Suddenly
there was a rumbling and shaking and the rocks began to move. They
began to attach to each other, forming limbs, a torso, arms and
finally, a head. Fairly soon, Gracie could hear the lub-dub of a
heart coming into being.

"Josiah
is what I will call you.", she said in a murmur to the golem. He
awoke, yawning.

"Where
am I ? Master, is it you ?", Josiah asked as he was helped to his
feet. His appearance was grayish-white and his skin shone like
quartz but the more Gracie had tactile contact with him the more the
rocky features of his skin began to fade. His skin became more beige
and his eyes took upon a mahogany tint. His hair was medium length,
raven and curly. He was strong, but gentle in his mannerisms and
intensely intelligent. It seemed whatever he touched, he could
absorb and the knowledge became his to use. Strangely, though,
Gracie fell more and more in love with him as she showed him the
world she had brought him into.

Chapter
3--Love is Bizarre

Josiah
was normal like any other being on the planet and he melded in with
all the other humans around him. His appearance was no longer stiff
and stony but alive and vibrating with the spark of humanity. Love
had given him mortality.

"I
am still curious, Master.", Josiah said one day as they were
watching a film together in her room.

"You
don't need to call me that anymore. I am not your Master, but your
friend. Treat me as an equal, Josiah.", Gracie said, blushing
floridly while Josiah took her hand tenderly into his elegant, yet
powerful hands.

"Gracie,
what is love all about ? I don't quite understand it.", he said,
gazing into her ice-blue eyes intently. Gracie looked at her
sandals momentarily and awkwardly giggled. Her voice cracked before
she could speak. Usually she was quite the chatterbox around others
but Josiah made her tongue-tied.

"Love
is…complicated, Josiah. It's different for everyone. Like for
me, when I created you, I felt overwhelmed with an emotion. I wanted
a friend so badly I begged and pleaded that it would be so.",
Gracie confessed.

"And
that is why I have my mortality. Your prayer and hope gave me that. I suppose I am the first golem ever to have such a gift…", Josiah
stated. But, Josiah knew he was more than just a typical golem. No. He was a human
being
and would know everything that human beings would in their lifetimes. He would probably live longer than the typical human because of his
inner composition, but he would live, grow old and die just as normal
humans do.

"I
appreciate your love for me. I understand what this means now.",
Josiah said, embracing her unexpectedly. The warmth of his skin made
her feel like bursting. She had never felt something so intense, yet
so serene and placid before. It made her feel sublime.

"I
don't know if I can allow a relationship between us. Nowhere in
the Kaballah does it say creator and creation can coexist. I fear if
I create a rift…", Gracie said, with some tension in her sweet
tone.

"There
are no rifts, only love my sweet.", Josiah said warmly as he leaned
in close to her and kissed her lovingly. From that moment, Gracie's
life had transformed forever.

Chapter
4--Jealousy

As
soon as Josiah began attending school with Gracie, she noticed that
she had become a heck of a lot more popular. It wasn't because
she was suddenly cool or happened to be wearing the hippest clothes
in the tri-county area. It was because, quite simply, her boyfriend
was the hottest thing since steamed heat. Gracie wasn't
complaining, however. She knew whom she could trust and whom she
couldn't and if she was ever in any trouble, Josiah would protect
her. She didn't have any bullies bothering her anymore since
Josiah was a towering figure. He never used violence. Just his
stature alone intimidated would-be antagonists.

It
seemed though that Gracie's popularity had some adverse effects. Her closest new friend, Natalie, secretly had a crush on Josiah. Behind Gracie's back, Natalie would flirt and make provocative
passes at Josiah. Josiah, however, couldn't be swayed, even if
Natalie was a siren in all aspects of her personality. Gracie
didn't know of the rift in her friendship until she, Natalie and
Josiah went out to shop at the local mall.

Natalie
was hanging all over Josiah and only then Gracie noticed how sultry
her so-called confidante was acting. Her behavior was by no means
commendable.

"There
will be no need for that.", he said, removing Natalie's hands
easily. He then took Gracie by her waist and drew her in for a
passionate kiss.

"If
you're trying to separate us, nothing in the world could ever do
that.", Josiah said, honestly. Natalie was infuriated and began
yelling and cursing at them in traditional Arabic. Neither of them
paid attention to her asinine actions or her spoiled attitude. Snobbishly and in an infantile fashion, she stomped off finally
bellowing,

"Who
needs plebeians like you anyway !"

No
sooner had the brat walked away that the two began laughing heartily.

"She's
right. We've got each other.", Josiah said, romantically, as he
wrapped his arm around Gracie's trunk and they walked side by side
along the various stores of the mall.

Chapter
5--As Time Goes By

As
Gracie aged, she appreciated Josiah more and more. Sure, they would
have their tiffs every so often but their love was unchanging. Gracie had gone through college with him, both of them going in
different directions. Josiah was working to become a holistic healer
and Gracie was learning how to become an accountant. They were
interning and excelling in their classes. Despite the fact that
homework kept them busy, they always found time to be together. In
fact, Josiah had even mentioned marriage to Gracie in passing, hoping
the idea would stick. But, Gracie was shy and she also wondered
about breeching any laws the Kaballah had in its ancient pages. It
had been so long since she had picked up the book. She had one of
her own now so she didn't have to keep checking the one at the
library out. There was only one method of finding out; marriage
itself.

Epilogue

Tentatively,
once Gracie had settled down in her job and Josiah in his position,
they finally were married. It had taken 2 years, but the wait had
been worth their patience. When the anxious day arrived, Gracie
sauntered down the aisle and Josiah stood there at the altar, looking
dashing as usual. The two were married with no troubles and to
this day, no one but Gracie knows of Josiah's secret origin. It
really doesn't matter that he was a golem to begin with. Love made
him human and human he shall remain. Even now, love has given them
both the ability to have a family of their own and the prospects ova very happily ever after 'til death do they both shall part.

The
End

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